Finding a Job Without a College Degree

Finding a Job Without a College DegreeFinding a Job Without a College DegreeBill Gates never graduated from college. Neither did Michael Dell nor Steve Jobs. Outside of the tech world, Richard Branson has done pretty well for himself without a college degree, as has Barry Diller.But Sharon Willis is a more common example of the challenges to American workers who never graduated from college.Since February, Willis has been the acting vice president for external affairs at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, a medical and health-sciences graduate school of 850 students. She will continue in that role until some time in the fall, when she will resume her position as deputy vice president. The VP role is one she wanted to apply for when it became vacant but couldnt, even though she had the experience and knowledge. Why? She doesnt have a bachelors degree.Willis started at the university 28 years ago as a clerk typist and worked her way up through the ranks. She describe s herself as the go-to part for just about everybody with whom she works. Willis has done the job of vice president, and the college president knows she is up to the task on a permanent basis, yet her lack of a college diploma - a job requirement means she does bedrngnis qualify for the position.Willis has hit a professional wall at the university, and she realizes that things would likely not be different elsewhere.When we have vacancies here, I see the qualifications of the applicants, many of whom have masters degrees, said Willis. I realize that if I were to leave here, I would probably rank at the bottom of the applicant pool because of my lack of a degree, despite excellent experience, job stability, a very strong work ethic and great references. Its disheartening.What Willis suspects to be true about the world outside the university is only too real for many of the millions of people the recession unleashed upon the job market. Many of these people started at a company in a n entry-level position and worked their way up the ladder. Not having a college degree may not have mattered until the time came to apply for a new position.Bruce Hurwitz, president and CEO of Hurwitz Strategic Staffing, said he sees this issue come up regularly. Every time I have tried to get a client to waive the college-degree requirement in light of the candidates exemplary work experience, I have been refused, he said. They alfruchtwein always say that it is their policy that all employees have at least a college degree.Such jobs now account for most of the economy. Nearly 60 percent of American jobs now require at least a bachelors degree, according to Help Wanted Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements Through 2018, a June 2010 report released by the Center on Education and the Workforce at Georgetown University. That number jumped from 28 percent in 1973 to 59 percent in 2008 and is expected to rise to 63 percent over the next decade, the report said.Resume and Netwo rking SolutionsSo is your dream job, even most jobs, out of reach if you dont have a college degree?Not necessarily. Experts who spoke with Ladders said solid, long-term professional experience and proven results can often supersede the need for a college diploma.I believe that employers want the right person for the job, said Karla Porter, director of workforce development and HR for the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry and a private consultant on human capital and new media. Theyre not looking for a certificate, a degree, a piece of paper they are looking for a solution provider. If there is a person who can do that for them and has a proven track record and can show what theyve accomplished for other companies, I believe they will be considered.All of this must be conveyed in a carefully constructed resume. To replace the college-degree situation on a resume, the person needs to stress the results they have been able to achieve due to their extensive experien ce, said Dianne Durkin, president and founder of Loyalty Factor, a consulting and training firm.Make sure the resume is very, very well done, Porter said. If its not, it will go to the C pile.Tony Deblauwe, senior HR partner at Citrix Systems and founder of HR4Change, agreed Your resume has to be rock-solid. It has to demonstrate your experience, your skills, your accomplishments. Youre promoting your best skills so that people focus on that and not get to the end and say, Well, wheres your degree? Cheryl Palmer, president of Call to Career, said she has worked with many people who have been to college but never got the degree. When writing a resume for a person in this situation, she mentions the college major and degree program but does not state that that he has a degree. Im being truthful, but not drawing undue attention to the fact that they dont have a degree.This strategy will also help you get your resume past the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) software that most companies use to screen resumes.If a job description says bachelors degree required and you dont have a bachelors degree, your resume can say bachelors degree not completed or not attained so the system will pick up the keywords bachelors degree, Porter said. You dont want to say anything that is not true, but you want your resume to get in front of people. Make sure your resume contains the same keywords that the job description contains, and then rearrange them to how they fit for you.All the experts who spoke with Ladders emphasized the importance of describing any training, certifications or licenses you have to show that you have invested in some training for yourself. I havent found too many scenarios where people have done nothing, Deblauwe said. Theyve at least taken some college classes or gotten some certifications or something to talk to. Or something internal from a previous company.Its commonly understood that networking is one of the most important things you can do when pursuin g a new job, but its even more critical if you dont have a degree, said Palmer. If you dont have a degree, the whole idea of networking is much, much more critical, she said. Employers prefer to hire someone that they know something about. They prefer people who have come referred. If you are trying to land a job in this very competitive job market and you dont have a degree, you really have to take that networking to another level, to get around the fact that most employers are looking for a bachelors degree at an absolute minimum.Along those same lines, strong recommendations from clients, former employers, co-workers and associations can go a long way toward making up for the lack of a college degree.Its Never Too LateSo, what else can you do if you dont have a college degree? Well, you can get one or at least begin working toward one, no matter what your age.Once enrolled in a program, you can write on a resume that a degree is in progress, experts suggested.Thats just what the Uniformed Services Universitys Willis is doing.A busy single mother of three, Willis is taking classes in business management in the hopes that she can break through the barriers put up by the lack of a degree. Willis said her boss is very supportive and is giving her whatever time she needs. In addition, because she works for a federal institution, she gets tuition reimbursement. All of this, along with flexible options such as online classes, has allowed Willis to start on a path she hopes will lead to a higher-level position.I think in the long run, people are much better off just going ahead and pursuing the degree, no matter how hard it may be, she said. Thats what everyone will be looking for. You do get to a certain point where you just cant go any further, and thats where I am right now.